The Hunter's Niece
by KassSalvatore
Summary: Tatum Bridges was your average sixteen year old girl from Boston. She had many friends and a good relationship with her family. She loved life. But that all changed over the summer when her parents got into a mysterious car accident ending their lives. After the accident, Tatum moved to Mystic Falls with her uncle Alaric. *Multiple love interests*
1. The First Day

PLOT: Tatum Bridges was your average sixteen year old girl from Boston. She had many friends and a good relationship with her family. She loved life. But that all changed over the summer when her parents got into a mysterious car accident ending their lives. After the accident, Tatum moved to Mystic Falls with her uncle Alaric. *Multiple love interests*

Chapter 1- The First Day

Tatum and her uncle unpacked their stuff in their new apartment. She was having a hard time getting used to all of this. Her parents were dead and she moved to a new town without knowing anybody except her uncle.

The reason they moved to Mystic Falls instead of staying in Boston was because of Alaric wanting to find out more information about his dead wife's death, Isobel. He thought that Mystic Falls would be the answer which made no sense to Tatum. He also got a job as a history teacher at the local public school, the one that Tatum would be attending. It was already a few months into school, so Tatum would have to adjust quickly. Or so she hoped...

Tears started to run down Tatum's eyes as she thought about her deceased parents. She missed them and of course she loved her uncle too, but it just wasn't the same. It would certainly take a lot of getting used to.

"Oh Tatum, don't cry. It's going to be okay. You know you can talk to me about anything, sweetheart?" Alaric said and pulled his niece into a hug.

Tatum wiped her eyes. "I know. I'm just missing mom and dad."

Alaric gave his niece a reassuring smile as they continued unpacking.

Tatum looked all around her new room. Everything was unpacked. The walls were white. Her dresser had all her clothes in it. Her small twin bed was set up against the wall with her lavender comforter over top. Beside her bed, she had her nightstand with her lava lamp, diary and alarm clock. Her posters of popular movies were hanging on the wall and her Dad's old recliner chair was in the corner. The room was quite small, but Tatum didn't care. It would now be her new home.

"Home..." Tatum said out loud to herself.

'At least it has a window.' she thought. She sat down in her Dad's old chair and before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.

She woke up to her alarm clock going off.

"Uh." Tatum groaned as she turned off her alarm clock. She opened her window and looked out. "Can today please be a good day?" she said to herself. Tatum dressed quickly and put on her necklace her mom got her for her sixteenth birthday.

In the kitchen Alaric was making breakfast. "Good morning Ric." Tatum said as she swung her school bag over her lap.

Alaric smiled at her as he put two pancakes on a plate for her along with a glass of milk.

Tatum began eating her food as Alaric asked, "are you nervous for school?"

She nodded. Why wouldn't she be nervous? It was the first day of school in a new town without her parents.

"Me too Tatum, I hope the kids will like me." He admitted.

"They will love you Ric." Tatum grinned at him.

"I sure hope so, but I'm sure they'll love you as well." Alaric reassured her.

Tatum took a sip of her milk. "I'm counting on it."

"Well, I guess there's nothing left to do but leave." Alaric said as he took her dishes and put them in the sink. They left to go to school.

Alaric pulled into his assigned parking spot. He got his briefcase out of the car. "Good luck." He said with a wink.

Tatum nodded her head and said, "ditto."

The school was not very big, but not small as well. The building was a dark colour and the mascot was a timber wolf, Tatum soon found out as she looked at the walls.

Alaric headed to his History class as Tatum headed to the school office.

Tatum spent what felt like ages looking around for the school office. She was finally helped when she saw a cute boy with dark hair coming her way. He bumped into her accidentally causing Tatum to drop her stuff.

"O-oh, I'm so sorry." He stammered and helped her pick up her things.

'He has a cute voice.' Tatum thought to herself.

"No worries." She told him and thanked him for helping her.

The boy smiled. "I'm Jeremy Gilbert, nice to meet you. You must be new."

Tatum nodded her head. "Yes, nice to meet you too. I'm Tatum Bridges." They smiled at each other.

"Hey, um if you want I can take you to the office. I'm assuming that's where you're headed?" He asked her, pointing in the right direction.

"Thank you, that would be nice." She said relieved.

Jeremy led her to the office. She thanked him and he said, "I know this is probably random but if you want, you can eat with me and my friends at lunch. "

Tatum grinned. "Okay sounds good."

Jeremy left with a smile and she walked into the office.

"Hello. How can I help you?" The lady at the front desk asked.

"I'm new here. My name is Tatum Bridges. Could I please have a schedule?"

The lady nodded and got up to look at Tatum's folder and get her schedule. The lady handed Tatum the schedule. "Your first class is Math with Mrs. Halpern." The secretary said.

"Okay thank you." Tatum said and put the schedule into her bag and left the office to look for the math room. She could look at her other classes later.

After five minutes of looking around, Tatum finally found the class. She knocked on the door and Mrs. Halpern let her in. "You must be Tatum. Welcome to trigonometry!" She exclaimed. Mrs. Halpern looked around forty and was pretty for her age. Tatum smiled at her and nodded.

The class stared at her. "Class, meet your new classmate, Tatum." Mrs. Halpern said and smiled. "Hi Tatum." The class mumbled back.

"Please find a seat Tatum." She said and pointed to the only available chair left in the classroom. The chair was beside a girl with long blonde hair and a plain face. "Hey, I'm Tara Forbes. Welcome to this little school us students call hell." She said and winked.

Tatum couldn't help but giggle. "I'm Tatum. It's nice to meet you."

After two more of her classes, those being English and Spanish, it was time for lunch.

Tatum walked in with her new friend Tara. The cafetaria was swarmed with students, but not as many as Tatum's old school had.

Tara and Tatum discovered that they had all classes together. Tara understood Tatum as they shared a similar sense of humor and she also lost her parents in a tragic accident so she lived with her Aunt Liz and cousin Caroline.

Tatum told Tara she met a boy named Jeremy and that he asked if she wanted to eat lunch together.

"Oh, you met Jeremy? He's my best friend!" Tara said with a smile.

Jeremy saw the girls and went to sit with them. "Hey Tatum, I see you met my friend Tara. My sister and her boyfriend are coming over to sit with us too." Jeremy said and waved them over.

Tatum smiled at the couple and nervously fumbled with her necklace. "Tatum, this is my sister Elena and her boyfriend Stefan." Elena was gorgeous, one of the prettiest girls Tatum had ever seen. She had brown hair that went past her shoulders, dark eyes and a petite figure. Stefan was classically handsome. He had forest green eyes and a mysterious gaze.

The couple smiled at her. "Nice too meet you Tatum."

"Nice to meet you guys too."

They ate their lunch and Tatum told them all about her life. She told them things from her childhood, to the accident and her first day so far. It turned out Elena and Jeremy's parents died too last summer.

Tatum found out that Stefan lived with his brother Damon and today was his my birthday.

"Happy Birthday!" Tatum said to Stefan who thanked her.

"If you want you can come with us to the Grill later. It's where we all hangout." Elena said to Tatum.

"Sure. I would like that."

Elena grinned.

"I can introduce you to our other friends. It will be a blast!" Tara said.

Tatum smiled. They continued eating their lunch and chatting as the bell for class finally rung.

* * *

Tatum walked out of the school with her headphones in her ears blasting music. She got into the car and waited for her Uncle.

Alaric opened the front door and climbed in. He asked his niece, "How was school? Did you make any new friends?"

Tatum smiled. "Yes and yes."

"What are their names?"

"This boy named Jeremy and his friend Tara, also Jeremy's sister Elena and her boyfriend Stefan." Tatum said proudly.

Alaric smiled at his niece. "I'm so glad to hear it, Tatum. See I told you it wouldn't be so bad." He said and gave her shoulder a pat.

"Is it okay if I go out later with them to the Mystic Grill? Tatum asked nervously, hoping he'd say yes.

Alaric nodded. "Don't have too much fun though." He said and winked at Tatum.

* * *

Tatum got ready to go out. She took her hair out of the ponytail and curled it with her curling iron. Elena texted, and said she was waiting downstairs for her. Tatum said bye to Alaric, put on her jacket and headed downstairs to leave with Elena.

The two girls chatted aimlessly as they started walking to the Mystic Grill.

"Tatum, meet my best friend who I have known forever, Lexi." Stefan said to Tatum introducing them.

"It's nice to meet you Tatum." Lexi said shaking her hand.

"It's nice to meet you too."

Tatum was introduced to all of Elena and Jeremy's friends. She met Bonnie and Caroline who were Elena's best friends. Caroline seemed like a ditzy blonde but sweet, as Bonnie seemed more relaxed and smart. Tatum could definitely see herself being good friends with Bonnie.

She was having a great time as they were all playing pool together.

Stefan's brother Damon came in and walked over to them.

"He is gorgeous!" Tatum whispered to Tara, sneaking glances up at the man.

"I know right!" Tara gushed.

Damon smirked at Tatum. "You must be Tatum." He said, holding out his hand for her to shake.

Tatum slowly nodded and shook his hand. His grip was strong and hard. "And you must be Damon." She smirked back, trying to appear confident.

"That's me," Damon said with a wink. "I'll be back and will be looking forward to getting to know you later," he added and walked away.

Tatum watched him leave, sighing.

* * *

Damon came back later when Tatum was coming out of the washroom.

He appeared right in front of her.

She jumped and held her chest. "Oh my god, you scared me!"

"I told you I'd be back." Damon spoke before his lips curved into a smirk.

Tatum blushed, tucking a red curl behind her ear. "I see." She said, pausing. "Well, I'm glad to see you're back."

He stepped closer to her, consciously backing her into the wall.

Tatum was backed up against the wall, his dark eyes narrowing. His breath was cool on her neck. She thought for a second that he was going to kiss her.

Damon suddenly backed away when Tara came around the corner. "There you are, let's go play another round." Tara said with a grin and pulled Tatum away, not even noticing Damon.

Tatum sighed. What would Damon have done if Tara hadn't have came?

* * *

They were all playing another game of pool.

The sheriff walked in and started speaking in hushed tones to Damon. Damon nodded his head.

Damon and Lexi started talking to each other and then they walked out. The sheriff followed.

Tatum frowned and looked at Elena and Stefan. They whispered something and walked out after them.

Two police officers came in and wouldn't let Elena and Stefan leave. Tatum got up and asked what was going on.

The police officers said, "two people were killed outside and no one is allowed to leave yet."

Tatum gasped, shocked.

"How were they killed?" Stefan asked.

"They were drained of blood." One of the police officers answered back, suspiciously.

Why did Stefan care how they died?

Tatum frowned, something was fishy around here.

Stefan frowned and nodded to Elena. They walked over to the back door.

Tatum tried to follow but Stefan stopped her.

"Tatum you have to stay here." Stefan told her.

She shook her head.

"Tatum you will stay here." Stefan tried to compel her but it didn't work.

"No I'm coming outside with you guys." She pushed, aggressively.

Stefan frowned and whispered to Elena, "she must be on vervain."

Tatum heard him."What's vervain?" She asked and followed them outside.

Stefan shook his head and said "doesn't matter."

They stopped and peeked over the wall.

Lexi, Stefan's friend was standing near the wall. Damon was walking over to her with a weird looking stick. He suddenly plunged the stick into her abdomen and stabbed her.

Lexi fell to the ground and Damon picked her up and placed her into the cop car. The sheriff thanked him before they both got into the car.

Tatum tried to scream but Stefan covered her mouth.

Elena held Stefan, so he couldn't do anything.

"I'm going to kill him." Stefan muttered, darkly before they both looked at Tatum.

"Compel her Stefan, so she'll forget." Elena said with tears in her eyes.

"I can't Elena. She's on vervain." Stefan snapped and stared at Tatum.

"Try taking off her necklace." Elena quietly said.

Stefan held Tatum's gaze and unclasped her necklace. "You will forget this happened. You will only remember meeting us all and having a great time. You saw Damon drive Lexi home and you decided you needed to leave too." Stefan ordered, compelling her as he did so.

Tatum held onto his gaze, listening to his every word. She shut her eyes.

"Tatum, you dropped your necklace." Stefan said with a forced smile.

Tatum's eyes opened and she smiled back. "Thanks Stefan. I had a great time tonight but I think I should get home."

Her eyes met Elena's who forced a smile as well. "Hopefully we can all hangout sometime again." Elena told her, still smiling.

Tatum put her necklace back on. "I'd like that.

"Come on, I'll drive you home." Stefan said and they walked over to his car.

* * *

"Did you have fun?" Alaric asked as Tatum walked into the apartment. He was seated at the kitchen island, sipping on some alcohol with a book in hand.

"Yes, I had a great time and I met lots of nice people."Tatum told him, fiddling with the intricate designs on her necklace. She truly did have fun.

Alaric then smiled at his niece."That's good, sweetheart."

"I'm going to shower and then go to bed. Good night." She said and went over to her uncle to plant a kiss on his cheek.

Tatum took a long, hot shower. She changed into her pajamas and went into her room. She got out her diary and her pen from her nightstand drawer.

 **"** **Dear Diary. Today was a good day. It was my first day at school and everyone was very nice and welcoming. I made some new friends and we hung out at Mystic Grill. I also met an intriguing guy named Damon. He was very attractive but something seemed strange about him. Anyway, I hope I get to hangout with these people again soon."**

With a yawn, Tatum turned off the light and climbed into her bed. She drifted off to sleep within minutes.

* * *

"Stefan. Come on don't be mad! I said I'm sorry, it had to be done." Damon said trying to apologize to Stefan for killing Lexi.

"Whatever." Stefan said and slammed his bedroom door.

Damon sighed and opened his door. "That Tatum girl looked oddly familiar." Damon said to Stefan who didn't answer him. "Okay, fine, don't talk to me." He rolled his eyes and shut the door.

"Wait Damon, what did you do?" Stefan asked sounding worried, just before the door was fully closed.

"I didn't do anything." Damon lied.

He shut the door, and it creaked closed.

Damon smirked. He was going to make Tatum his.


	2. The Turning Point

A/N: Thanks for the feedback and I am looking forward to write this story for you guys! If you have any suggestions, let me know in the comments. BTW, the first chapter, I combined 162 Candles and History Repeating. I might combine episodes together sometimes so it helps the benefit of Tatum's storyline incorporated into the story along with keeping the show canon. Anyway, here's chapter two!

* * *

The sound of the birds twittering outside woke Tatum up immediately. She checked her clock. It was 8 o'clock. Crap, if she didn't get moving she would be late for her second day of school.

With a yawn, she climbed out of bed and went into the bathroom. When she emerged from the bathroom, she was showered and dressed.

Grabbing a granola bar on the way out, Alaric drove Tatum to school and before she could get out of the car, he stopped her.

"Be good, okay?" Alaric said with a smile.

Tatum nodded and smiled back. She swung her bag over her shoulder and said, "of course."

The two parted their ways and Tatum headed to her first class.

Tatum and Jeremy had English second thing. They walked into the class and sat down beside each other.

"I started sketching again." Jeremy said to her.

"Really, why did you stop?" Tatum curiously asked.

"I guess I stopped because of my parent's death and it just didn't seem like something I wanted to do anymore." Jeremy told her.

"Oh, that makes sense."

"I found one of my old ancestors journals and pictures in the basement. I guess they inspired me to get back into it. The writings were about demons and slaughters. Very strange but interesting. He seemed like kind of a freak show but I guess he was kind of an artist too." Jeremy said and reached down to get something out of his bag. "Here, I'll read some of it for you before class starts." He reached down and tossed Tatum a journal.

'I live in fear. It consumes me. In the early evening when I see the sun begin to fade, the fear comes, because I know that the night brings death.' The page of the journal reads. Tatum's eyes trailed over the words, her eyes forming into a puzzling but intrigued expression. She tossed it back to Jeremy when she was done with the page. "Very poetic, but morbid." She told him.

Jeremy nodded with a smile just as Tara walked in and sat beside Jeremy. "Good morning guys," Tara greeted them happily. "Hey, Tara." Tatum greeted back.

"You look happy," Jeremy noticed.

"It's a beautiful morning and I'm in class with my best friend as well as my new friend. Why wouldn't I be happy?"

Jeremy rolled his eyes.

Mr. McInnes walked in and told everyone to be quiet. He handed out today's quiz. Tatum wasn't a fan of Mr. McInnes so far. It was her second day and he had already pilled on a load of homework for her to complete, stuff that she had missed in the first month or so of school.

Mr. McInnes placed the test on her desk.

"Um, , you told me yesterday that I wouldn't have to write the test since it is only my second day of class." Tatum told him, nervously.

He frowned but then sighed. "Oh, I suppose you're right." He picked up the test and gestured to the door. "Well then, please go to the academic center and come back at the end of class. You can work on one of the other assignments I assigned you yesterday while you're there."

Tatum nodded and thanked him, but inside she was internally groaning. It was the second day, how far did he think she got started on her work?

Tatum walked out of class and made her way up to the second floor where the academic center was. As she was on her way there, she saw Elena and Bonnie talking together by their lockers.

"Yes, he would. He thinks he's protecting me. Clean break and all that." Elena said to Bonnie as she retrieved books from her locker. Her face was contorted into what looked like annoyance.

"So, what are you gonna do?" Bonnie asked.

"What am I supposed to do? I've already begged him not to go. If I ask again, I'm being selfish. It is what it is." Elena replied, hastily.

Tatum was curious to who they were talking about but she didn't want to ask. If Elena wanted to tell her then she would. After all, they barely knew each other. She could understand if Elena didn't want to indulge in all the juicy facts of her life. At least, not yet.

"Hey guys," Tatum walked up to them and greeted them.

Bonnie and Elena say her approaching. They immediately stopped talking about whatever they were talking about so they could greet her.

Elena smiled before pulling Tatum into a hug. "Hey Tatum, aren't you supposed to be in class?" She asked, with a raised brow.

"Mr. McInnes sent me to the AC because we're having an English test and I'm not prepared since I missed a lot of the material in the beginning of the year." Tatum explained.

"That makes sense," Elena replied.

"Well you should probably get to the AC then. Mr McInnes is a real ass. He'll notice if you haven't done your work." Bonnie told her.

Tatum nodded, just about to leave anyways.

"Before you go, did you happen to hear what we were talking about?" Elena asked.

Tatum shook her head. "No, why? Is something wrong?"

"We were talking about Stefan. He's going to move away with Damon." She told her. "It's probably for the best."

Tatum frowned. Stefan was leaving and also Damon? She had only hung out with Stefan once but in that time, she had come to like him. He was nice. Damon on the other hand, was interesting but Tatum could sense a bit of 'danger' in him which made her attracted to him even more. Why were they leaving?

"Oh, why are they moving?" Tatum simply asked.

"Family issues, they don't really have anything to stay for in Mystic Falls." Elena replied.

Tatum frowned. "Doesn't Stefan have you?"

"Yeah, but we should get going and you should definitely get to the AC." Elena told her, trying to change the topic. Her and Bonnie were about to leave before Elena turned around, "hey, I don't know if you already know, but the career fair is tonight. It wouldn't hurt to come if you want."

"That sounds like fun, I'll be there."

Elena smiled. "Great, I'll come pick you up tonight."

* * *

It was the end of the school day and Tatum was at home watching TV. She was watching the news as Ric sat by, marking papers.

"Another animal attack?" Alaric asked Tatum who had her eyes glued to the screen.

"Yeah." Tatum answered, not moving her eyes away from the couldn't turn away, it was just too interesting. "It's getting really weird, what do you think is wrong with those animals?" Tatum added, breaking her gaze from the Tv and looked at Ric.

He shrugged. "I'm not sure."

There was a sudden knock on the door. Tatum looked at her uncle who shrugged. She got up to answer it and it was Elena. "Hey, are you ready to go?" Elena asked with a smile.

Tatum frowned and glanced at the clock. "It's kind of early, but I guess so." She reached out to grab her jacket on the coat rack. "Bye Ric, I'll see you later at the fair. I'll see you there later." She explained to her uncle.

Ric said bye to Tatum and Elena before going back to his papers.

* * *

Elena pulled up in front of a big, boarding house.

"Wow, who lives here?" Tatum asked, peering up at the house.

"Stefan," Elena replied and got out of the car.

Tatum unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car as well. "Why are we here? Aren't we going to the fair?"

"Stefan needs to talk to you," Elena said just as Stefan came walking towards them.

Tatum blinked. It seemed like he had came out of nowhere.

"Hey Stefan, how's it going?" Tatum asked.

"It's going good. I need to tell you something about myself. But whatever you do, don't run." Stefan said and held Tatum's hand.

Tatum raised an eyebrow. "Uh, okay."

"I'm a vampire."

Tatum's first response was to laugh. "Yeah okay Stefan and I'm a fairy." She said and rolled her eyes.

"Tatum. I'm not kidding. The only reason I am telling you this is because of the danger you could possibly be in." Stefan spoke, with authority in his tone.

Tatum thought for a moment.

"Prove it." She said and crossed her arms. "Drink Elena's blood, then I will believe you."

Stefan nervously looked at Elena. "I only drink animal blood. I've had a bad history with human blood." Stefan admitted.

"Tatum he is telling you the truth, we will go out into the woods and he'll prove it." Elena said and stood up.

"No I'll show her how fast I can go. Hop on my back. We're going for a ride." He said to Tatum and winked.

"Okay. That's way easier I guess." Elena said and sat down watching them as Tatum hopped on Stefan's back. Stefan bared his fangs at Tatum and they zoomed out the back of the yard

"Okay fine, I believe you." Tatum yelled into Stefan's ear. They were running through the woods, when suddenly Tatum felt very sick. "Stefan slow down, I'm going to throw up."

Stefan let Tatum down as she threw up all over the ground. He went over to her and sat down beside her. "Hey, Tatum it's okay." Stefan softly said as Tatum continued to throw up.

Tatum finally stopped puking and wiped her mouth with her sleeve.

Logan Fell walked into the forest and smirked at them. "You might want to check on your brother if I were you." Logan said and plunged a stick into Stefan's back.

"Stefan!" Tatum screamed, her eyes widening.

Logan took off before anyone could do anything.

Stefan moaned in pain. "Um Tatum, can you please pull out the stake?" He asked in a low voice.

Tatum could tell he was in pain. Her hands were shaking as she pulled out the stake.

Stefan let out a relieved sigh. "Thanks Tatum."

Tatum's eyes were big. "Are you okay?"

"Just peachy," Stefan answered. "But we should probably get back to Elena and go to the fair. Your uncle will soon wonder where you are."

* * *

Tatum was worried about Stefan and Damon. The fair was in full swing. Everyone was walking around to the career booths but Tatum was seated at a bench with Elena, waiting for Stefan.

"So Damon must be a vampire too?" Tatum curiously asked.

Elena nodded. "Yeah, Jeremy's ex Vicki was a vampire too, she was turned by Damon but Stefan had to kill her, as she was going to hurt Jeremy. Stefan and Damon were turned by a girl named Katherine; Stefan's ex. Vervain is a potent herb, and also a vampire's most well-known weakness. If vervain is touched by a vampire, it can cause burns to their skin. If a human has ingested vervain and a vampire feeds on them, the vampire is affected within seconds and extremely weakened. If a human ingests or holds vervain, like somewhere on the body such as holding it in a hand or pocket _,_ or wearing it in jewelry, the human is protected by vampire compulsion entitled to free will." Elena gave Tatum a short history listen rather quickly. "Also, you can't tell anyone about vampires, not even your uncle."

Stefan was finally back, with Damon."Enough with the history listen, Elena. Don't scare the poor girl." Stefan joked and forced a laugh.

Tatum frowned, confused. "You're seriously joking right now? After that news guy stabbed you?"

Damon smirked at Tatum and went to sit beside her. "Hello little bird." Damon said and caressed her cheek.

Tatum pushed his hand away from her cheek. "Hello little vamp." She winked.

"So I'm guessing my brother told you?" Damon asked with a smirk.

Tatum nodded her head. "Now you better not compel me Damon." Tatum firmly said as she raised an eyebrow.

Stefan sat down beside Elena and looked over at Logan and Jenna talking with a straight face.

"How dare that bastard come in here and show his face!" Damon angrily said and started to stand up.

Stefan pushed him back down. "What are you doing?"

"He tried to kill me, let me kill him!" Damon said and bared his fangs as his veins start to grow under his eyes.

His blue eyes met Tatum's hazel ones. With a sigh, his veins shrunk.

Tatum nervously looked at Elena who gave her a reassuring look.

"Fine, but go now." Stefan said and stood up with Elena.

"Little bird is also coming with me." Damon said and smiled at her. It was the first time she actually saw him smile, not smirk.

Tatum nodded, happy that Damon wanted her there, even if she was terrified to see what would actually be going down.

"No." Stefan said, firmly.

"Yes. She is." Damon remarked and reached in Stefan's stomach to pull his heart forward.

Elena gasped, about to lunge forward but Damon held her back with his free hand. Tatum looked at Damon in shock. Death seemed like no big deal to Damon. He was so impulsive that he would threaten his brother in such a big way like that?

"Fine, but once we get out there don't move." Stefan grunted and Damon let of Stefan's heart.

"What if I don't want to go?" Tatum mumbled, nervously. Ignorance was bliss. She would much rather stay here and hang out with her friends and uncle then watch some guy die. Even if the guy deserved it.

Damon groaned and pressed a hand to his face. "Fine, but I'm going now then." He said just before turning to leave around the corner so no one could see as he vamp-sped away.

Elena turned to Stefan. "Will he be okay?"

Stefan sighed. "He's Damon, he'll be fine. Besides, Logan Fell is just a newborn vampire, he won't be able to hurt Damon."

* * *

Alaric and Tatum headed out the back entrance. Alaric stopped when he saw a group of men.

Tatum frowned. "Who's that?" She asked, trying to squint to see who it was. It was much darker out now than before.

They all looked confused, but the older man looked angry. She recognized the mayor, Tyler Lockwood who was the mayor's son and was also from her Gym class and Jeremy.

Alaric went up to them, Tatum trailing closely behind.

"Come on, dad." Tyler said, nervously.

"That's not gonna happen." Jeremy tried to laugh it off.

"I said fight!" The mayor ordered.

Tyler tried to leave, but his dad pushed him into Jeremy.

Alaric approached them and put his hands out to the two boys. "Whoa. What's going on out here?"

"Just letting these two kids work it out. We're good here. Go back inside." The mayor said, orderly and forced a smile.

"I don't wanna go back inside. What I want is an answer to my question. What's going on out here?" Alaric asked in a firm tone.

"C'mon Ric, let's just go." Tatum whispered, pulling on his arm. She looked up at the mayor and shivered. Something was off about him.

"Who do you think you're talking to? Do I look like a student?" The mayor barked at him.

Alaric ignored her from before and narrowed his eyes at the mayor. "No. You look like a full grown alpha male douche bag."

Tatum opened her mouth to gasp but smiled instead. Go Ric!

Jeremy smirked and Tyler looked shocked that Alaric had the guts to say such a thing.

"You don't talk to me like that. I can have your job like this." The mayor aggressively said and snapped his fingers.

"Ah, you do that. Then it will be you and me in this parking lot, working things out. You cool with that?" Alaric said, smirking.

"You just marked yourself." The mayor said, part of his voice sounding scared.

"Ok." Alaric replied back simply.

The mayor looked back at Tyler who started walking away. He followed him.

Tatum was trying to contain a contain a smile.

Alaric looked over at Jeremy. "You all right?"

Jeremy nodded, still suppressing a smirk.

After that, Tatum and Alaric walked away. "Okay, that was cool!" Tatum said in an excited tone.

Alaric smiled at her and mussed her hair. "Just doing my job, kid."

* * *

The fair had ended a while ago. Tatum had actually enjoyed herself, but she knew now that everything was different. Alaric had gone out to run a few errands, he had said while Tatum worked on her homework. There was a sudden sound at her window. It was Damon and he was dirty and reeking of blood.

"Are you okay? What happened?" Tatum asked in a loud voice as she went over to him.

Damon sighed. "I'm fine. Logan Fell is dead but not by me. The sheriff came by to tell me."

"If you didn't kill him, the who did?" Tatum muttered, thinking deeply.

"That's what I would like to know."

"I'm glad you're okay, though." Tatum said, trying to change the subject. She didn't want to talk about death anymore.

Damon smirked. "Does the little bird have feelings for the big bad vamp?" He started walking towards her, backing her up against the bed in the process.

Tatum shook her head, trying to cheek out the blush that was starting to appear in her cheeks. "No, I just wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you."

Damon looked disappointed for a moment. "Well I guess I should get going. Now that you know." He walked back towards the window.

"Actually could you stay a little bit longer? My uncle is out and I don't feel safe on my own." Tatum nervously told him.

Damon nodded. "Yeah, I guess I could stay a little bit longer." He smiled at Tatum.

Damon went to the living room, Tatum following him. He curled up on the couch while Tatum put the TV on.

Ten minutes later, Tatum fell asleep with her head on Damon's shoulder.

"Well I hate to ruin this lovely moment but you need to wake up. I can hear your uncle outside" Damon said, trying to jostle her awake.

Tatum jolted awake and looked around, she was still in her clothes from the previous day. "What?"

"I need to go, but I'll come back." He said just before vamp-speeding out of the room.

Tatum sighed and shut her eyes just as her phone began to ring. She answered it on the second ring. "Hello?"

It was Elena and she sounded scared. "I left Stefan's because I saw a picture of Katherine. She looked exactly like me." Elena said in a panicked tone.

Tatum looked outside. She didn't see Ric outside, so Damon was lying. He probably just didn't want to spend time with her anymore so he made up an excuse so he could leave. Tatum felt stupid.

"Where are you?" Tatum asked.

"I'm on route-" Elena started to say but her voice as cut off as a crash sound took over the call.

The line went dead.

"Elena? Elena!"

Elena had her location services on. Tatum could track Elena down using that. Bingo.

* * *

It thankfully wasn't fair from where Tatum lived, so she easily got there within walking distance. Her and Ric lived by the highway so it was perfect distance.

Tatum ran into the road to see Elena's car flipped over. There was someone in the middle of the road.

Tatum gasped and ran forward to Elena. "Elena? Oh my god!"

Tatum saw Elena flipped upside down in the car, but by the grace of God, she was breathing.

"Aw, thank God." Tatum muttered, crouching down to try to free Elena. The figure near the road came towards Tatum, inching closer and closer each second.

Tatum screamed just before she felt a darkness pulling her under.

She blacked out.


	3. Bloodlines

Chapter 3: Bloodlines

"I found one. After years of research and study, there it was right in front of me. I was terrified. As I stared at in the eyes, I drove a stake though its heart. I was right about Mystic Falls. There is evil here. I can sense it. Feel it. It's everywhere." Alaric was seated at his computer, typing away furiously.

* * *

Tatum woke up groggily to a sound of a car engine. Her eyes opened and met with the sunlight seeping in through the window. She looked confusedly around at her surroundings. She was in a car, but not her car.

"Morning," Damon said, calling out.

"Where are we?" Tatum asked and sat upright, looking around but not recognizing anything familiar.

"Georgia," Damon replied back simply.

"Georgia? No seriously. Damon, where are we?" Tatum asked, feeling scared

"Relax, relax." He told her, shaking his head. "Seriously, we're... we're in Georgia. How ya feeling?"

"I...I..." Tatum stammered.

"You're fine, I checked. I found you blacked out on the side of the road." Damon frowned. "My bets are on that is was from... Stress."

"But Elena... Her car was flipped...There was a man... Who was he?."

"Elena's fine, she's with Stefan." Damon answered back, his eyes still on the road.

Tatum searched her pockets frantically. "Where is my phone? Ok. We really need to go back. Nobody knows where I am! My uncle!" Tatum told him, getting angry. "Seriously. Stop the car, Damon. I'll make you pull over myself if I have to."

Damon groaned and started to pull over. "You were so much more fun when you were asleep."

He pulled over and Tatum rushed out of the car.

"We have to go back."

"Oh come on. Look." He put his hands up. "We've already come this far...

"Why are you doing this? I can't be in Georgia. My uncle doesn't know where I am! He'll call the police for hell's sake!"

"That's a little melodramatic, don't you think?" Damon gave her a funny look. "Besides, I texted your uncle saying you were staying at a friend's last night. Everything is taken care of."

"You can't do this. I'm not going to Georgia. I-I have to finish my English assignments and, and uh, go to my classes."

"I didn't peg you for a bookworm, Tatum. I can totally get behind that though. Think of this as a nice, relaxing getaway from school. You'll' thank me later." Damon flashed her a smirk.

"You're not funny. Seriously take me home." Tatum snapped at him. "Why do you even want me here?"

"I figured we needed some bonding time. I mean since I've met you, you've been glued to those friends of yours. Besides, we're already in Georgia. Without your little magical necklace, I might add. I can easily make you agreeable." Damon gave her a dark look.

"What do you mean by magical?"

"Didn't Stefan tell you? There's vervain in your necklace, that's what was keeping you from being compelled. Why you have it, I'm not sure." He smirked and gave her a fake dumb look. "Do you remember what vervain is?"

"Of course, I remember. Dumbass," Tatum sneered, crossing her arms over her chest. "What are you trying to prove? Why are we in Georgia, out of all places?"

Damon groaned. "You ask way too many questions."

Tatum narrowed her eyes and banged on his chest. "Then tell me...!"

He sighed and stepped out of her way. "Settle down. Okay? I know someone there who can help us open the tomb."

"What tomb?"

"The tomb under Fell's Church. Where the vampires from 1864 are being kept. Katherine is in there and I need to get her out."

Before Tatum could open her mouth to speak, her cellphone began to ring from the inside of Damon's jacket.

"That's my phone." Tatum tried to reach inside his jacket but he swatted her hand away.

"Mmm. It's Elena. I'll take it." He spoke into the phone. "Tatum's phone...!"

Tatum leaned in close and heard Stefan speaking.

"Where is she? Why do you have her phone? Is she okay?"

"Tatum? She's right here and yes, she's fine."

"Where are you? Let me speak to her!" Tatum heard Elena say in the background.

"She wants to talk to you." Damon said, looking at Tatum.

Tatum nod her head and tried to reach for the phone but Damon answered back. "Yeah. I don't think right now is a good time."

Tatum gasped in shock. "Damon...!"

"Damon, I swear to God, if you touch her..." Elena screeched into the phone.

Damon smirked at Tatum. "You have a good day. Mm-hmm. Bye-now." Damon said before he clicked her phone off.

"Look, they don't know where I am. They're worried. Can we please just go back?"

"We're almost there." Damon answered back simply.

"Where is 'there'?!"

"A little place right outside of Atlanta. Oh, come on, little bird. You don't wanna go back right now. Do you? What's the rush? Time-out. Trust me. Your problems will still be there when you get home. Look. You want to have fun? You want a break? Just step away from your problems for five minutes. Five minutes!"

Tatum narrowed her eyes and pointed her finger at Damon's chest. "I have no problems."

Damon laughed. "Come on, we both know that isn't true."

Tatum paused before she sighed. "Am I gonna be safe with you?"

"Yes."

"Do you promise to not compel me?"

"Yes."

"Can I trust you?"

Damon walked over to the car and pointed at it. "Get in the car. Come on."

* * *

"What about the man in the road? Was he a vampire?" Tatum asked, curiously.

The pair were still driving, on their way to Atlanta. Tatum was feeling antsy and nauseous. She rested her hand on her head, breathing in and out. She always got bad car sick. Thankfully, she was sitting in the passenger's seat which made it slightly better.

"From what I could tell, yeah..." Damon answered, looking at her as she held her head. He looked as if he was going to ask if she was alright but then closed his mouth. He wouldn't like the answer.

"You don't know who he was?"

"If I've never met him, I wouldn't know him. I mean, it's not like we all hang out at the Vamp Bar & Grill." Damon chuckled to himself.

Tatum rolled her eyes and made a 'hmph' sound as Damon pulled up in front of a bar. The sign read 'Bree's Bar'.

"Where are we? You brought me to a bar? Damon, I'm only sixteen. They're not going to let me in." Tatum complained.

Damon ruffled her auburn locks. "Sure they will. Just look at those puppy dog eyes!" He remarked and tried to stroke her cheek but Tatum swatted his hand away.

Tatum was about to speak but a lady came up to them, automatically cutting her off. She stared up at Damon with wide eyes before her lips curved into a smile. "No. No, it can't be. Damon. My honey pie."

The weird lady grabbed Damon's face and kissed him passionately.

"Listen up everybody! Here's to the man that broke my heart, crushed my soul, destroyed my life, and ruined any and all chances of happiness!" She shouted across the room. As she poured herself a shot, she started to pour shots for everyone."Drink up!

People came up to her and left, after they received their shot.

Damon and the lady shot up their alcohol. "Ahh. Whoo!" She looked to Tatum. "So, how'd he rope you in?" She poured Tatum a shot.

"I'm not roped in... Actually we're just friends..."

"Honey, no one is just friends with Damon Salvatore. Either way, just enjoy the ride." She smiled and poured more alcohol.

"Very true, Bree." Damon spoke and flashed a wink.

"Okay. So how did you two meet?" Tatum asked Bree, just deciding to ignore what she had said previously.

"College," Bree answered.

"You went to college?" Tatum turned to Damon.

"I've been on a college campus, yes."

"Hmm, the more you know." Tatum mumbled. Damon totally didn't seem like the college type.

"About twenty years ago, when I was a sweet, young freshman, I met this beautiful man and I fell in love. And then he told me about his little secret, made me love him even more. Because, you see, I had a little secret of my own that I was dying to share with somebody."

Damon moved closer to Tatum. "She's a witch," he whispered in her ear.

"Those exist too?" Tatum asked, feeling silly.

"Elena's little friend, Bonnie is one too, in fact." Damon looked to Bree. "You'll have to excuse her. She's very new to all of this."

Tatum frowned.

Bree laughed. "Oh honey, you have so much to learn."

"Whatever," Tatum muttered under her breath. Something about this woman seemed off... She didn't trust her.

Bree leaned across the bar. "So, what is it that you want? You surely didn't come here just to see me."

* * *

Tatum returned from outside. She had phoned Alaric letting him know that she was fine and well. She didn't tell him the true story or he'd freak out. She just said that she was tired and would crash at Elena's. He had sounded concerned that she was sleeping over at a friend's in the same night and the fact that she didn't even know Elena that well, but she had convinced not to worry. Alaric was very easy to convince otherwise.

Tatum walked into the bar to see Bree and Damon at the counter, taking more shots of liquor.

Tatum was glad she hadn't drank. She would hate to look like how they looked right now. Foolish and drunk.

"So, why does Katherine look like Elena?" Tatum asked and sat in the stool beside Damon.

Damon sipped on his drink. "Believe me, little bird. I have no idea but I'd love to find out."

"Are they related? Like distantly, of course."

Damon shrugged. "I don't know. I mean in order for that to happen, Katherine would have had to have had a child before she was turned."

"That's creepy that they look the same." Tatum remarked, frowning.

Damon chuckled. "I agree."

A man entered the bar and went over to the counter away from Tatum, Damon and the other customers. Bree went over to him and motioned with her head towards Tatum and Damon.

Tatum frowned as the man stared at her. He looked away when she met his eyes. He got up and went out the back door.

"I'll be right back. I need to use the restroom." Tatum told Damon quickly before she left to follow him. She trailed after him, but as her head looked from side to side, he was nowhere to be seen.

Just as Tatum set foot outside, someone pressed a hand to her mouth and dragged her off.

* * *

"Hey, wheres your girl?" Bree asked as she scrubbed a glass clean. She hid a smile behind her lips.

"She went to the bathroom." Damon looked around.

"It's sure been a long time though, hey?"

Damon frowned. "I'm going to check on her. I'll be right back." He walked out the backdoor and across the parking lot. The parking lot was empty.

He walked towards a building next the bar. His eyes widened as he saw Tatum in a crumpled shape on the ground. He ran to her and shook her. "Tatum. Tatum!"

Tatum's eyes opened and her eyes looked confused as she looked up at Damon. "Damon, watch out behind youu!" She shouted just as a figure appeared behind him.

"No!" She shrieked as the man behind Damon kicked him. The man was tall and had dark hair. He attacked him with a wooden stick he ripped off the tree. The man used vamp-speed to beat Damon repeatedly.

Tatum got up from the ground and ran to them.

"What the hell?" Damon muttered.

The man started to pour gasoline all over Damon.

"No!" Tatum shouted.

The man turned to look at Tatum, flashing his vampire teeth.

"Who the hell are you?" Damon asked, growling in pain.

"That's perfect! You have no idea!"

"What are you talking about? Are you insane? Stop it! He doesn't deserve this!" Tatum shrieked.

The man looked at Tatum with a dark look. "Yes, he does deserve this! He killed my girlfriend!" He turned to Damon. "What did she do to you? What did she do to you, huh?!"

"Nothing," Damon replied back.

"I don't understand." Tatum said, looking confused back and forth between the two men.

"My girlfriend went to visit Stefan, and Damon killed her. Got it?" The man swatted Damon with the stick again.

"Ahhhh." Damon let out a cry of pain before hsi eyes met Tatum's.

Tatum wanted to cry. She didn't know what to do or how to stop this man. Suddenly, she remembered something. "Lexi." She murmured. "But I thought that she had gone home?"

"That's another thing Stefan forgot to mention." Damon groaned.

The man lit a match.

"No, please don't do this..." Tatum jumped in front of Damon to protect him. "I didn't know Lexi that well. I only met her that one time but she wouldn't want you to do this. Be better than this. Do it, for her."

Lexi's boyfriend pushed her out of the way so he could reach Damon. He picked him up and threw him against the tree, but stopped attacking him.

"Thank you," Tatum told the man, feeling relieved. She let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding.

"It wasn't for you," Lexi's boyfriend told her before leaving.

Tatum rushed to Damon's side and helped him up.

* * *

Tatum watched as Damon came out of the bar and back into his car.

"So, why did you bring me here?"

"Well, you're not the worst company in the world. You should give yourself more credit, Tatum!" Damon joked and nudged her shoulder.

"I'm serious, Damon." Tatum raised an eyebrow at him and crossed her arms.

"You were there in the road, all damsel-in-distress-like. And... I knew it would piss off Elena and Stefan. And... I wanted to get to know you better."

"Why do you wanna get to know me better?" Tatum asked, inching closer.

"I'm not sure," he answered back, not meeting her eyes.

Tatum sighed and looked out the window as the bar become smaller and smaller as they drove away. "I saved your life, ya know."

"I know."

"And don't you forget it!" Tatum winked at him.

* * *

Tatum unlocked the apartment door with her keys. The lights were off. She turned them on to see a note on the fridge. 'Be back later, I'm out at the bar. Hope you had fun at Elena's. Miss you.' The note was signed from Alaric and he put a smiley face at the end of his name.

With a smile, Tatum took it and crumpled it into the trash. 'Miss you too. We need to have dinner tomorrow together.' She texted her uncle.

He answered back within a minute. 'Of course.'

Tatum's phoned buzzed with an incoming call. It was Elena.

"Hello?"

"Oh thank God, Tatum! Are you okay? You're home now, right?"

Tatum laughed. "Yes, I'm fine. Actually it wasn't that terrible."

"Listen, I'm glad you're safe. Stefan and I have made up. He doesn't know why Katherine and I look alike either." Elena told her.

"Yeah, Damon was talking about that as well. It's really strange, to be honest."

"I know," Elena replied. "Also, I have some other news. I know we haven't known each other that long, but I feel like I can really trust you."

Tatum smiled. "Aw, Elena."

"Stefan found out I'm adopted."

* * *

Alaric was seated at the Mystic Grill bar. He sipped on his drink while he smiled at his niece's text message.

Damon walked in and sat beside Alaric. "One bourbon, please." Damon said to the bartender.

Damon's phone started to ring and he smirked before he answered it. "Yes, little bird. I'm safe and sound. Don't you worry. Alright, ok. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Bye Tatum." He said before hanging up.

Alaric looked shocked up at Damon. It was him, the one who killed Isobel.

'And I was a mad man for bringing my niece here. Especially now that he wants her.'

'I won't let him have her.'


End file.
